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J. C. KEOUGH. QUILTING MACHINE.

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No. 593,846. Patented NOV.'16,1897.

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J. C. KEOUGH. f vQUILTING MACHINE.

1%. 593,846. Patente-d Nov. 16, 1897.

, UNITED STATES APATENT trucs,

JAMES C. KEOUGH, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

QUlLTlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of lLetters Patent No. 593,846, datedvNlovember 16, 1 897.

. Application filed September 22, 1896. Serial No. 606,672. (No model.) y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,JAMEs C. KEOUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements Iin Quilting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to quilting-machines, and particularly to that class comprising a stationary quilting-frame and movable sewing mechanism ;A and the invention consists in adapting to a machine of this class a patternplate on which the pattern to be followed in the sewing of the quilt is formed bya chain supported byAsuitably-located sheaves, and

sprocket-wheels for imparting a circuitous movement to said'chain, and means for ad- 'justing said sheaves' on said plate, whereby a. varietyr of patterns may be produced; and it consists, further, in improved means of supportfor said sewing mechanism and in the application of power thereto, all as fully described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a quilting-machine embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of Vthe machine. Fig. 3 is a plan ofthe pattern-plate, showing the adjustable sewing-machine devices thereon. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of one part of said pattern-plate. Fig.

5 is an elevation, partly in-section, showing one of the sprocket-wheels .on the patternplate. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.' Fig. 7 is an elevation, partly in section, of one of the sheaves on the patternplate. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 illustrates means for tightening the chain on the pattern-plate. Fig. l0 is a perspective view of two of the links of the sprocket-chain, one of said links showing a stud thereon,'with which a part of the sewing mechanism engages.

Inmachines of this class it has heretofore been the practice to provide a separate pattern-,plate for each design of stitching that is to be applied to a quilt, said pattern-plates having a groove in the surface lthereof of the conguration of the desired figure or pattern, and an arm depending from the movable sewing mechanism engaging-with said groove,

and means for moving said sewing mechanism, whereby it is made to follow the outline of said groove in said pattern-plate. That method of construction necessitates a complete pattern-plate for each design it is desired to apply to said quilts. This invention provides for one pattern-plate lonly and means for varying the pattern thereon to represent a great variety of figures, whereby the expense of these various pattern-plates is obviated.

Referring to the drawings, A is the frame of the'machine.

B is the sewing-machine, rotatably mounted for movement ina horizontal plane on a carriage C, having the wheels C on the axles C2, which carriage has a horizontal movement ing part' of said frame A;

E is the quilt to be stitched, tightly stretched in the usual manner in the quilting-frame E and supported thereby in a suitable position for operation thereon by said sewing-machine, all of which is clearly shown in Fig.` 2 of the drawings.

F is the Vpattern-plate, supported in a horizontal position in the frame. Means for imparting movements to the sewing-machineguiding devices and to the sewing mechanism as a whole consist of two horizontal shafts 2 and 3, supported on the frameA and geared to run together at dierent rates of speed by two gears 4 and 5, and movement is imparted to one of said shafts by a suitable belt engaging with the tight and loose pulleys 6 and 7 In the surface of Vsaid pattern-plate are provided a series of grooves f, having undercut sides, making said grooves T-shaped in crosssection, and arranged in parallel equidistant lines at right angles to each other. This particular arrangement of the said grooves is not important and they may be arranged in concentric grooves, having one or more radial grooves from the center to the edge of the plate, cutting said concentric grooves, for providing access thereto for the introduction therein of the T-headed bolts or studs 13, having the sheaves 14E thereon, (see Figs. 2,

3, 7, and 8,) or said grooves may be laid out on said plate at any desired angle to each other or in any way which will afford convenient means of varying the position of the IOO sheaves 14 for arranging them in dierent patterns on the pattern-plate. A sprocketchain H is passed around and supported by said sheaves 14 and sprocket-wheels 10, and thereby forms any figure which, by the location of said sheaves and sprockets, has been determined upon. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) When said chain has been duly applied to said sheaves and wheels, the ends thereof are united, making an endless chain disposed on the pattern-plate in the shape of the figure to be stitched on the quilt E, and by its engagement with the teeth of the sprocketwheels the revolution of the latter causes said chain to move throughout its entire length. Means for giving said chain any desired degree of tension are provided by the construction of one or more of the bolts 13, as shown in Fig. 9--that is, a second bolt 13n is secured to the T-head of said bolt 13, and at right angles thereto, in such manner as t-o lie in one of the grooves f, and the outer end of bolt 13 is threaded and passes through a plate 13h, which abuts against the sides of the patternplate F, as shown in said Fig. 9 and in position on plate F in Fig. 1, and a nut on said bolt 13 serves to draw the sheave-bolt toward the edge of the plate F as far as desired. Said plate 13b may be secured to the edge of the plate F, if desired. One or more of the links of said chain H are provided with an upstanding stud h, with which socketed rod 1G,secured to the sewing mechanism,engages. Said rod has a vertical movement in a suitable support 17, secured to sewing-machine, by the hand-lever 18, pivoted to said support and pivotally engaging said rod. By moving the said lever the soeketed end of the said rod may be made to engage or disengage one of the studs h on the chain H.

Generally speaking, the location of the sprocket-wheels on the pattern-plate F remains unchanged-.that is to say, a large number of figures may be formed by the change of position of the sheaves relative to the sprockets, which remain as fixed points in the pattern. Should it be desired to go outside of the range of figures, the sprocket-wheels may be located on the pattern-plate in other positions, which will in turn become fixed points in a large variety of iigures,which may be formed by shifting the sheaves relative to these new points and adapting the chain thereto. 'lhe location and number of the sprocket-wheels are determined by the intricacies of the figure, the outline of which the chain must follow, a figure or pattern having many turns necessitating the use of a larger number of sprocket-wheels for positively moving the chain with steadiness than would aless intricate pattern.

The sewing-machine B consists of t-Wo parts 19 and 20. Said part 19 is the base -of the machine, to which the arm 2O is secured by one end. The free end of the arm 2O carries the sewing mechanism proper, and the end of the base 19 supports the feed-plate and shuttle. Said sewing mechanism in the said arm and base is actuated by the rotation of the shafts 21 and 22 in the usual manner, and

lsaid shafts receive their movements as below described. Said arm 19 is provided with a base 23 of circular form, which has an annular groove 24 turned therein, and said base rests and rotates upon a ring 25, entering said groove 24:, which ring projects above the surface of a circular plate 26, secured to the platform 27 of the carriage C. Said ring projects above said surface of plate 26 far enough to prevent the contact of any point of the base with said plate except in the said groove in the base thereof. If desired, said groove may be made of the desired shape and a similar groove cut in the top of the ring for the reception of steel balls for the purpose of reducing the friction between the parts. In the center, which is the center of gravity of the sewing mechanism, of said base and plate 2G a hole is made for a vertical shaft 28, on the upper end of which is a bevel-gear 29 and on the lower end of which is the bevelgear 30. The said shaft 28 lies vertically over the center of the horizontal driving-shaft 2. Said shaft is supported in a horizontal position by a fixed support 3l on the frame A and by two supports 32, bolted to and depending from the carriage C, within which supports said shaft has a rotary movement. Said shaft is provided with a spline-groove 33 for its entire length, and a sleeve 34, provided with a pin or feather 35, engaging said splinegroove, has a free sliding movement on said shaft 2,said sliding movement being imparted thereto as follows: Said sleeve passes through one of said supports 32 depending from said carriage C, the inner end of said sleeve abutting against the inner face of the other of said two depending supports 32,and being secured in that position by a collar 3G on said sleeve, set up against the inner face of the firstnamed support 32. By this means said sleeve is moved by the carriage, sliding on the said shaft 2 and turning with said shaft by reason of the engagement of the pin 35 with said groove 33. Secured to said sleeve 34C and in position to be in mesh with the bevel-gear 30 is a bevel-gear 37, and secured on the shaft 22, supported in the base 19 of the sewingmachine, is a bevel-gear 38, meshing with the bevelgear 29 on the upper end of the shaft 28, and the shaft 22 by means of a belt 39 drives said shaft 21 in the arm 2O of the said sewing -machine. Thus continuous movements are imparted to the sewing-machine regardless of the movements of the carriage C and in Whatever position on the tracks D the said carriage may be, and said shaft 28, through which the sewing-machine is driven, being centrally located in the circular base on which the sewing-machine revolves in a horizontal plane, will impart movement to said shaft 22 in whatever position to right or IOO n Io

left of a central line said sewing-machine may be placed.

' In the drawings, in Figs. 2 and 3, the chain is shown arranged ou the pattern-plate in two different figures, the shafts 9, on which the sprocket-wheels are secured and which drive said chain, being in the same position in the two figures. vThese illustrations are designed to show only the possibilities of making iigures of various forms with the driving-sprockets incertain fixed positions on the patternplate. -In making a change in the pattern to be stitched on a quilt the design is laid out on a piece of paper ruled to correspond to the grooves f of the pattern-plate, and on which are clearly marked the fixed points occupied by the sprocket wheels 10, and the outline of said design then is marked on said paper. By referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the grooves f on one edge of said plate are numbered with even numbers and one edge with odd numbers, and the abovementioned ruled sheet of paper has its lines corresponding to said grooves similarly numbered. The point in thegrooves f at which the sheavesare to be placed is then easily ascertained by noting the numbers of the lines which cross each other.

By referring to Figs. 5 and 7 the manner of applying the sprocket-wheels and sheaves to the pattern-plate will be seen. In Fig. 5, 9 is the shaft, provided on'its lower lend with the bevel-gear l2 for engagement with a gear 8 on shaft 3. An annular'plate l0a is made integral with said shaft, or may be secured thereto in any desirable way. A small hub on said plate provides a bearing for-said shaft on the top of the pattern-plate F, and, as stated, said shaft turns freely in. said plate. The sprocket-wheel proper, lO, is secured for free rotary movements on shaft 9 by a nut screwed onto the top of said shaft, and ratchetteeth 40 cut in the hub of the sprocket-wheel near the surface of the pattern-plate engage a pawl 4l, pivotally secured to the plate l0, and held in such engagement wi th said ratchet by means of a spring 40a. (Shown only in Fig. 6.) The purpose of the ratchet and pawl on the sprocket-wheel is to prevent the chain from slackening up. It is obvious that with this ratchet-and-pawl device any tendency to slackness of the chain would be checked by the inability of the sprocket-wheels to revolve in any direction but the one in which the chain is moving. The construction in Fig. 7 is designed to allow the free rotation of the sheave out of contact with the patternplate, and the flanged sleeve 14, through which the T-headed bolt 13 passes', is by the nut on said bolt secured to said plate, and a washer 14b serves to hold said sheave in its proper position on said sleeve. A smooth bearing-surface on the flange of said sleeve is thus provided for the base of the sheave,

obviating the necessity of finishing off a portion of the surfaceof the plate for providing said bearing. Provision for keeping said chain I-I in alinement is made by the location of bearing wheels or rolls 42, Fig. l, which may be secured adjustably vto the patternplate on whichever side of said chain they may be required, to take the weight of the sewing mechanism off from said chain in such parts of the design or pattern as they bear most heavilyv upon said chain. These rolls may be mounted in suitable frames and made up in different lengths and applied as required.

W'hat I claim isl. In a quilting-machine, a frame vprovided with horizontal tracks, a carriage moving thereon, sewing mechanism mounted on said carriage for a swinging movement in a horizontal plane, a quilt-supporting frame, a pattern -plate supporting above its surface a chain arranged in pattern form on sprocketwheels and sheaves, which sheaves are movable on said pattern-plate, whereby said chain may be arranged in a variety of pattern forms, and means for imparting rotary movements to said sprocket-wheels and for actuating said sewing mechanism, and means of engagement between said chain and sewing mechanism, substantially as set forth,

2. In a quilting-machine, a frame provided with horizontal tracks, a carriage moving thereon, sewing mechanism mounted on said carriage for a swinging movement in a horizontal plane, a quilt-su pporting frame, means for moving said sewing mechanism and said carriage consisting of an endless chain ar- -ranged in pattern form in a plane parallel with the vplane of movements of the carriage and sewing mechanism thereon, said chain being driven and supported by sprocket-wheels and sheaves, the latter being adjustable whereby the pattern form of said chain may -be varied, and means for imparting rotary movements to said sprocket-wheels and means foractuating said sewing mechanism, and means of connection'between said chain and said sewing mechanism, substantially as set forth.

3. A quilting-machine consisting of horizontal movable sewing mechanism,and a flexible and variably adjustable pattern-form, consisting of a chain supported on drivingwheels and sheaves means for rotating said driving-.wheels and actuating said sewing mechanism, means of adjustment on one or more of said sheaves for tightening and loosening said chain, and means for guiding said chain in a straight line between two of said sheaves, a suitable temporary connection between said sewing mechanism and said chain and a fixed frame for supporting a quilt in a horizontal plane in operative relation to said sewing mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. In a quilting=machine,a frame for holding a quilt in a horizontal plane, a flexible and variable pattern-form, supported on a suit- IOO able frame, a carriage movable on tracks D,

sleeve engaging With a gear 80, on a shaft 2S, 1Q

and suitable gear connections between shaft 28 and shaft 22, and suitable connections from shaft 22 to shaft 2l for rotating the latter, substantially as set forth.

JAMES C. KEOUGII.

Witnesses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs. 

